


Children and Commanders

by midget_boss



Series: One Universe Over [20]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midget_boss/pseuds/midget_boss
Summary: The Jedi council has prepared the first in an intended series of lectures. Ponds gets to make sure all of the commanders attend. Unsurprisingly, it's not the padawans he has to deal with.
Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox & CC-6454 | Ponds, CC-2224 | Cody & CC-6454 | Ponds, CC-5052 | Bly & CC-6454 | Ponds, CC-6454 | Ponds & CC-3636 | Wolffe
Series: One Universe Over [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924129
Kudos: 53





	Children and Commanders

To: Commander Class

CC: Generals

From: JHC

Subject: Lecture series 1

We are pleased to inform you that we have available our first lecture. As this is a new format for the delivery system we ask that you choose three of the available times and dates, ranked in order of preference. Once all commanders have responded, we will be forming groups. You and your Master will be notified of the designated time slot so that arrangements for your attendance can be made.

___ 08:00 Republic Day

___ 10:00 Republic Day

___ 14:00 Republic Day

___ 16:00 Republic Day

___ 08:00 Expansion week, Primeday

___ 10:00 Expansion week, Primeday

___ 14:00 Expansion week, Primeday

___ 16:00 Expansion week, Primeday

___ 08:00 High Day

___ 10:00 High Day

___ 14:00 High Day

___ 16:00 High Day

We thank you for your cooperation in this matter and look forward to your attendance.

Jedi High Council

c/o Commander Ponds

Jedi Temple, Coruscant

…………………….

Ponds had been looking forward to this since he helped General Windu draft the letter. He couldn’t wait to rub it in that all of the Jedi shinies had responded before any of his brothers. Commander Wolffe and General Plo Koon happened to be back at the Temple when the final shiny sent his response, which meant he got the honor of being first.

“Commander Ponds,” Wolffe said gruffly when he answered his com, glaring across the entrance way. He faked a smile for General Koon, who nodded and drifted away. “What the kark do you want?”

“You haven’t responded with a time and date,” Ponds replied mildly. He had his helmet on, partly so he could get away with grinning, but mostly so that he could record the other commander’s reaction.

“What the kark are you talking about?” Wolffe hissed. He pasted another fake smile on his face and moved away from the frowning elderly Jedi passing him.

“For the lecture, silly,” Ponds said cheerfully. “All of the Jedi shinies have sent in their responses. You are way behind.”

“What lecture?” Wolffe demanded thunderously. He scowled harder when a group of Initiates scurried past him.

“The lecture for commanders,” Ponds explained slowly. “The one I sent to your messages? It said lecture series 1, from JHC?”

“I thought you sent that to me as a joke,” Wolffe cried, incredulous. “It said something about needing a master.”

“No, it said you and your master would be notified of which lecture you should attend,” Ponds told him evenly.

“I don’t have a master for you to notify!” Wolffe whirled to stalk toward him.

Ponds was going to have to look up how to edit video. If all of his command brothers acted this way, he could make a gag reel. Or no, one of those music videos Windu had shown him. He had the perfect song, too: ‘I’m Coming For You’ by Lazerblast. The metal beats of the music might even sync up with Wolffe’s footsteps.

“Just what the kark are you trying to pull?” Wolffe demanded as he tried to loom over Ponds. It was as if he forgot that being older didn’t actually make him taller anymore.

“I admit the phrasing is a little off,” Ponds said serenely. “You know the Jedi are still struggling a bit with the whole Master versus General thing.”

“That isn’t the point,” Wolffe fumed. “We’ve had our training. Why are we being pulled for more?”

“It’s not training exactly,” Ponds assured him. “It’s more like information dissemination.”

“Send a memo,” Wolffe growled.

“I’m afraid that’s just not possible,” Ponds replied with insincere regret. “This kind of information the Jedi feel is too sensitive to trust in a memo.”

Wolffe’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of information is it?”

“You’ll see,” Ponds answered as he pulled up the list on his pad. “Now, I still have two slots open on Tapani Day, the zero eight-hundred or the sixteen-hundred. Which do you want?”

…………………….

He managed to nab both Monnk and Bly without incident, probably because Wolffe had been headed out to a battlefield.

“So I have a slot available on Republic day,” Ponds announced as he perused the list.

“Are you serious?” Monnk demanded, his left eyebrow twitching slightly.

“On a holiday?” Bly added, throwing up his hands. “Do you know the celebrations that are planned?”

“Do you?” Ponds asked, because he was curious.

“No, but I had plans,” Bly retorted.

“How can you have plans if you don’t even know what’s happening?” Monnk demanded, scowling at him.

“I asked General Secura if she would show me around,” Bly replied stiffly. His complexion darkened slightly.

“And did she say yes?” Ponds asked dryly, because earlier that day she had been given an assignment from the council for that same day.

“She said she would see,” Bly told him defiantly.

“I’m putting you for the late lecture,” Ponds announced. They could go out afterwards and distract Bly. “Both of you.”

…………………….

“I don’t even have a Jedi,” Fox snarled, not looking up from his paperwork.

“You sometimes work with Jedi,” Ponds argued.

“No,” Fox said flatly. “And if you ask again, you’ll be in those cells until your lectures are through.”

Ponds studied him. He was pretty sure that was a bluff, but the dark smirk the other commander gave him unnerved him. Discretion was the better part of valor, as he had been told. Besides, he could get the other commanders to pretend it was very important information. Enough of them to annoy Fox, anyway.

…………………….

Three days later and Ponds reluctantly admitted that he wouldn’t get to deliver the news in person to any more of his brothers. Republic day was fast approaching and he needed to get these lectures filled up. Plus, General Windu had a mission for them. He couldn’t afford to dawdle anymore, so he reluctantly decided to pass this on to someone else. That didn’t mean he couldn’t get to watch at least one reaction, so he made it a holo call.

“Commander Ponds,” Cody greeted him solemnly. In the background of the holo there was a folded brown cloth with a metal device on it. The other commander caught his eye line and moved to block his view. “Can I help you with something?”

“What was that?” Ponds demanded, completely derailed. “And don’t try to tell me it was nothing. You wouldn’t have moved to block it if it was.”

“I was trying to get your full attention,” Cody replied mildly. “I have no time for games, commander.”

“Don’t ‘commander’ me,” Ponds grumbled. “This is difficult enough as it is.”

Concern sharpened the other commander’s gaze. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not what you think,” Ponds said hastily. He narrowed his eyes. “What are you thinking?”

“Can we get to the point?” Cody inquired smoothly. He braced himself for bad news.

“It’s really not bad, I’m just being dramatic,” Ponds assured him. “It’s just disappointing when I was looking forward to it, but everyone’s got to drag their feet it seems.”

“About what?” the commander asked, a hint of exasperation coming through.

It was about time. He wasn’t usually this tense. Ponds had heard rumors that General Kenobi was neither a stick-in-the-mud nor a jerk and he’d personally seen Kenobi interact with troopers at the Temple plenty of times. They’d even spoken, although they’d never needed to exchange more than pleasantries before.

“You saw the memo about the lecture series,” Ponds said as he discreetly pulled up the recent reports from the 212th. They had one that had come in earlier that he hadn’t gotten to yet. He flagged it to read after this call. “You didn’t respond, by the way.”

“I was part of the preparation committee,” Cody pointed out dryly.

Ponds snapped his fingers. “That’s right. Everyone who participated is exempt.” He scowled as he considered that. “That means no one from the 13th army is going to be there, but all of the padawans sent acceptance replies.”

“I have it on good authority that a one-and-a-half-hour lecture is a small price to pay to be on Coruscant for most of a day without their Masters,” Cody informed him dryly. “Transport ships won’t be returning until after seventeen-hundred hours.”

“Clever,” Ponds said admiringly. “Too bad that reasoning won’t work on the trooper commanders.”

“Just assign them times,” Cody told him. “I’ve already heard from a few of the other commanders and many of them are expecting that.”

“But General Windu wanted them to exercise the right to choose,” Ponds replied, shaking his head. “Even if it’s only which time and day.”

“I appreciate the thought as much as you do,” the other commander said quietly. “But with all the other decisions we have to make, this one thing may be too much right now.”

“Baby steps,” Ponds agreed morosely.

“How long did it take you to start voicing an opinion about those plays?” Cody asked pointedly.

“We aren’t talking about that,” Ponds retorted. He sighed and rubbed his face. “But I take your point. I’ll send out assignments and if they don’t like it, maybe they’ll answer on their own next time.”

“Sounds good,” Cody said. “Did you need anything else?”

“Seriously, what was that thing?” Ponds asked, unable to keep his curiosity in check any longer.

“Good night, Ponds,” the other commander replied with a smirk before he cut off.

He could be so annoying sometimes. Ponds wondered if he should tattle to General Kenobi. Idly, he began reading the report from earlier. Typical Cody, there were no wasted words. Casualties were low, damage to the surrounding area was kept to moderate, and the amount of equipment that needed to be replaced was no higher than it usually was. Why had Cody been so on edge? Was it about whatever that had been behind him?

Ponds pondered that as he packed up his data pad and locked his desk. He checked his blaster before he holstered it. By the time he was locking his door General Windu was leaving his own office.

“Care to join me for the evening meal?” he asked as he stopped beside him.

General Windu wore a traditional robe, just as he always did. Just as another general usually did. Funny, they were the exact same color as the fabric in Cody’s … room? Office? He didn’t actually know where Cody had taken his call. Still, it was interesting that General Kenobi’s robe was in one of Cody’s personal spaces.

“Commander, is there a problem?” General Windu inquired, tensing.

“No, sir,” Ponds replied cheerfully. “Just had a puzzle on my mind, but I think I’ve solved it.”

“Care to share?” the Jedi asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Not right at this moment,” Ponds demurred. “I need to make sure I’m right first.” And that it wouldn’t make things more difficult in the long run. The lecture he’d helped create made it clear that there could be complications if he was right.

“Too busy for a meal, then?” General Windu nodded. “Well, another time perhaps.”

“Actually, now is great,” Ponds told him. He held up his data pad. “As long as I can secure this in my room first.”

“Taking work home?” the general asked, frowning slightly as they started walking.

“I just need to finalize the groups for the lecture,” Ponds assured him cheerfully. “I want to make sure I maximize the learning potential for the participants.”

“Oh really?” General Windu smiled slightly. “I’m sure you only have the best interests of your brothers at heart.”

“Of course,” Ponds agreed happily. “I always do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I like the idea of Ponds kind of being a troll with the other commanders.


End file.
